Airbrush Cleaning

The Next Step In Your Quest For Airbrushing Success is to Learn All About Airbrush Cleaning

Learning how to clean and trouble shoot an airbrush is vital to your success as an airbrush artist. It does you no good to purchase an airbrush if you will never be able to use it or use it to its optimal capabilities because it doesn't work correctly.

Click Here for Airbrush Troubleshooting

Poor Airbrush maintenance

Poor cleaning is responsible for 98% of airbrush malfunctions. So keep a clean airbrush. It's just that simple. Never put your airbrush to bed without cleaning it out properly as I will describe in the airbrush cleaning video. With a few simple tricks and tools you will have almost no problems which are due to a dirty airbrush. That means you will have almost no problems with your airbrush!

The basic procedure for cleaning an airbrush comes down to 4 keys.

Right maintenance (The proper procedure)

Right time(daily maintenance)

Right tools

Right Solvent

Now notice I said maintenance, not repair. Not .."oops I guess I should have cleaned my airbrush last night and now I can't figure out why it is spitting, or bubbling in the cup or won't spray right" etc.

Number 4 in the Keys List is really important. For water based paints I recommend using an organic solvent such as acetone. This stuff works really well. don't use anything that will not immediately break down the paint.

For Urethanes of course use a general purpose solvent. A good solvent will almost immediately break down dried paint. When airbrush cleaning always wear gloves and if spraying the solvent through the airbrush wear a NIOSH approved respirator that is rated for isocyinates and VOC's. In all honesty, cleaning an airbrush poses just as great a health hazard as airbrushing without a respirator.

This cleaning demo video is for a gravity feed airbrush, but the principles and procedures are the same for suction feed as well. Just use a clean color jar full of solvent to spray through the paint in the airbrush.

 

 

 

	If you need Solvent, may I recommend Kustom Shop's. They make superior custom painting products at a very good price. Just remember, Don't every use urethane Solvent to clean water based paints!

	This Mack brush Cleaning kit is the only kit you will ever need for cleaning your airbrush. Mack is THE name in cleaning brushes.

	Please take my advice and never spray without a respirator. A professional respirator is a must.

Once you watch this video on airbrush cleaning, move on to air compressors to complete your pre airbrush purchase education.   Step 4: Air Compressors